Regulatory Roundup, May 20, 2016

Regulatory Roundup is a weekly digest of employee safety and wellness news.

Texas Mutual News

3 steps to surviving an active shooter situationWhen a gunman opens fire in a public place, people panic. And panic gets people killed. If you follow this three-step plan, you can increase your chances of staying calm and surviving…MORE

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

CDC offers states money for Zika preparationsStates can now apply for a share of $25 million in FY2016 Zika preparedness and response funds. Applications must be submitted by June 13…MORE

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

FDA brings e-cigarettes under its regulatory umbrella The FDA has finalized a rule extending its regulatory authority to all tobacco products. , including. The rule, which goes into effect in 90 days, prohibits vendors from selling e-cigarettes, cigars, hookah tobacco and pipe tobacco to anyone under the age of 18. Smoking kills 480,000 people each year, making it the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States…MORE

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

EEOC finalizes rules on company wellness programsThe EEOC has released final rules on how employers can offer workers financial incentives up to 30 percent of the cost of their cheapest health insurance plans to participate in wellness programs without violating federal laws protecting the confidentiality of medical information.…MORE

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

MSHA to focus on safety standards for falling materials, poorly lit work areasDuring the fourth phase of its Rules to Live by initiative, MSHA will focus on protecting workers from falling materials and poorly lit work areas. These two hazards contributed to six fatalities each during the past 10 years…MORE

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

Cell phone drives train engineer to deadly distractionThe dangers of texting and driving a car, truck or SUV are well-documented and deadly. So what happens when an engineer at the helm of a 200-ton train loses focus?…MORE

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

OSHA aims to issue final rule on walking/working surfaces in AugustThe rule will bring the general industry fall protection standard in line with the more comprehensive construction and maritime standards. Employers will be required to provide workers with safer, more effective fall protection devices, such as self-retracting lanyards, and ladder safety and rope descent systems…MORE

White House, OSHA partner to host free webinar on preventing heat illnessThe White House and OSHA encourages the public to join them for a free heat safety webinar on May 26 from 2 – 3 p.m. EDT. During the webinar, an OSHA representative will explain employers’ and supervisors’ responsibility to provide workers with water, rest and shade. In 2014, 2,630 workers suffered from heat illness, and 18 died from heat stroke and related causes…MORE

Nonprofit organizations: Apply for a safety training grant by June 28Nonprofit organizations have until June 28, 2016, to apply for a share of $4.6 million in safety training grant money available through OSHA’s Susan Harwood program. The program targets underserved, low-literacy and workers in high-hazard industries…MORE

Texas Department of Health and Human Services (TXDHS)

El Paso reports state’s first West Nile case of 2016While health officials continue preparing for the possibility Zika could spread in Texas, El Paso reported the first case of another mosquito-borne virus: West Nile. The TXDHS advises the public to protect themselves by wearing repellant, dressing appropriately and eliminating standing water…MORE

Studies, Resources, Trends, News

Sixth sense keeps absented-minded drivers on courseDaydreaming drivers are apt to stray from their lane. When they do, the brain’s anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC, steps in, auto-corrects and keeps them on course. Unfortunately, the ACC is powerless against the most high-profile driver distraction: mobile devices…MORE